Hamas said on Monday that it had accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar.
The Palestinian group said in a statement that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, had informed Qatar's prime minister and Egypt's intelligence chief of its acceptance of their proposal, adding that the ball was now in Israel's court.
There were no immediate details over what the agreement entailed.
Israel on Monday called on civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah in what appeared to be preparation for a long-threatened assault in the southern Gaza Strip city where more than a million war-displaced Palestinians have been sheltering.
Instructed by Arabic text messages, telephone calls, and flyers to move to what the Israeli military called an "expanded humanitarian zone" 20 km (7 miles) away, some Palestinian families lumbered out under chilly spring rain, witnesses said.
The Israeli military also conducted airstrikes on areas in eastern Rafah on Monday.